LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Is Paula Broadwell and David Petraeus
alleged affair being used for a CIA Benghazi cover-up or smokescreen? The Paula Broadwell, David Petraeus alleged affair is prompting debate today in the context of the Benghazi attacks. At issue is the suspect timing of David Petraeus’ resignation; the apparent lack of explanation why the Justice Department purportedly only contacted the CIA on Tuesday; the rationale that an affair from last year prompted an investigation and resignation this year; and the peculiar statements by Paula Broadwell’s father issued to news today.

David Petraeus was set to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Thursday about the Benghazi Attack. And while the Senate may still call him, questions remain unanswered.

First, Paula Broadwell’s father in a news statement today did not use the word “smokescreen” but is certainly implied it. Broadwell’s dad, Paul Krantz told the Daily News today that the scandal and resignation “is about something else entirely, and the truth will come out.” What is the “something else”? Krantz said he was not permitted to elaborate. “There is a lot more that is going to come out. You wait and see. There’s a lot more here than meets the eye.”

Second, while the affair hit news Friday, the story is anything but new. Broadwell’s alleged affair with Petraeus reportedly started in 2011 and ended four months later. The affair allegedly had ended long before summer 2012 when the FBI got involved. So why did he resign last week for conduct he purportedly had stopped months, if not a year, earlier?

Third, the Jill Kelley report to the FBI about those emails also remains unclear. Kelley allegedly went to the FBI this summer after she allegedly got what she called are “threatening” emails from Paula Broadwell. In the emails, Broadwell allegedly told Kelley, who is married and did not have an affair with Petraeus, to “back off” and stay away from “her man”. It has remained unclear what was so “threatening” to Kelley, whose family is friends with Petraeus’, to warrant a complete FBI investigation. Sources claim that Kelley was not being romanced by Petraeus. Moreover, Kelley was reportedly very close with Petraeus’ wife Holly. And yet, are we to believe that Kelley reported the matter to the FBI last summer rather than simply call up Holly or the General and ask her what Broadwell’s beef was?

Additionally, while reports claim that the Broadwell – Petraeus emails were provided by Kelley this summer to the FBI, the date that Kelley actually received them remains unknown. It appears inconsistent if the alleged affair had ended by this summer that Broadwell would have authored such emails months later still identifying the General as her “man”.

For now, we are left with a peculiar timeline and inconsistencies. Kelley is said to have contacted the FBI last summer and the FBI is said to have not contacted the CIA until last week. James Clapper, U.S. director of national intelligence, claims to have only heard about the (then) year old scandal last Tuesday and allegedly urged the General to tender his resignation on Wednesday.

And while reports on Friday claimed that the FBI was investigating an alleged security breach, news reports now indicate that Broadwell was simply accused by Kelley of sending email(s) to her from the General’s private sector email address.